Patient's question:
Sister has been suffering from optic atrophy for a month. She went to the hospital, got medicine, but it didn't seem to work. She wants to ask what are the harms?Doctor's answer:
Vision loss is the most obvious harm of optic nerve atrophy. If this disease is not treated promptly and effectively, vision will continue to decline. Therefore, regular eye examinations should be conducted, paying attention to any changes in the optic disc surrounding the nerve fiber layer and retinal blood vessels, especially tests for visual field and color vision. This is mainly because hereditary optic nerve atrophy is an X-linked dominant genetic disorder, with a low chance of cure. Conventional treatment can only slow down the progression of the disease. However, optic nerve atrophy can be prevented from being inherited through eugenics, meaning only women in the family carry the genetic factor and pass it on to the next generation.